Believe it or not, I binged once after i started this thing and never went back. I won't go into the details of what I did to make myself feel better afterwards - but it was so far away from worth it that it may have paid off in the long run because I never even had the inkling to binge or eat off my plan again.

It sounds like you are still working out the kinks of late night eating, especially if your husband is gone and you are by yourself. Honestly, go to the grocery store and get the sugar free Popsicles. They have like 20 calories and no fat or sugar for two of them. It kills any need I have for something to shove in my face. Do not get the generic ones, they taste like total buttcheek. Get the brand name and have a party at 2 a.m. I find that 1/2 way through... i dont even want the whole thing because my brain just wanted something to chomp on and the cold crunch of it satisfies that.

As far as them being a part of LAWL - I know nothing of if they fit on the plan. I would ask the girls in that forum to see what brand name or LA item they have available at their center.

best of luck and total props to your hubby!

Decide ahead of time what your stress-food options would be. Even if you eat more than you should, it wouldn't be a food that you feel bad about eating.

BTW, 2 oreo cookies is not a binge and, while not on plan, I would NOT beat yourself up about that. In fact, I'm amazed you only ate 2. I can never touch an oreo without wolfing down the whole bag.

Make sure to always have cut-up fruit and veggies in the fridge and, even though it won't be your first instinct to go to those, if you've preplanned that as your emergency stress food, you'll be more likely to go to it. If you make it a few times, the next times you might be surprised that it's what you come to crave when you are stressed.

Also, there are some really wonderful and effective breathing exercises you can do for about 5 minutes that you should incorporate into your stress-management plan. If you do those, you might find that you don't need the snack afterall.

Good luck ... I'm a big stress-eater myself.

Stress is a really tough one for me. Usually i end up walking to the cupboard and then realising what im doing. And then i stop and end up pacing back and forth between the cupboard trying to decide whether i need the food, or just want it. I find if i can put it off for 5 mins then i dont binge. I try to do something else to take my mind off it. And if its still a day where i want to eat everything in sight i steam some veggies and have those instead. I use the glad steam lock bags and any frozen veg we have, you just put the bag in the microwave for 2 mins and you have instant steammed goodness

Hey Ghost,
that is a great idea. i guess it is better to eat veggies like lettuce and celery since they are more water like.

Sometimes it seems like i put stuff in my mouth and eat it before i realize that i should not eat it. I dont think about it. does anyone else do that?

I'm not a stress eater, actually, when I am stressed or have anxiety I cannot eat at all. I'm more of a boredom eater.
How about training youself to find something else to do compulsivley when you are stressed, like, log on here and start a bunch of threads. Or, get on your hands and knees and scrub the floors. Take a hot shower. Or a hot bath. Do your nails, so you can't touch anything to eat it. Just find an alternative go to task that you can do when you feel that urge to stress eat.

Lettuce and celery are instant too, so you dont have to put off a binge while you cook them Or you can munch your celery while you steam your veggies. I like celery because its crunchy and sometimes i just want to munch on something

I used to put stuff in my mouth and eat before i thought about it. I think its just a thinking process you have to get into. Now i can look at the food, think about how many calories are in it, and decide whether i want to eat it, before i even touch it. I find that if you can stop yourself before you actually touch the food thats half the job done. But it does take time, i think its taken me about 6 months to get that far

I am in a constant state of stress with my husband deployed right now.

I think the best thing you can do is remind yourself that food WILL not make you feel better.

Do you have any hobbies? This might sound silly, but do you like to color? Color a picture and use that to destress. It keeps your hands busy and if you're not very creative/artistic like me then it's a good option.

What about exercising? Going for a walk or something like that?

i'm more of a "boredom" eater also...but, the only thing that helps is to remove myself from the situation like a few of you already said. but, before you run off to take a walk--first thing, figure out--"am i actually hungry?" sometimes i am and then i just have to find something appropriate to eat. sometimes i'm actually just thirsty and i'm feeling hungry, so usually while i'm deciding what to eat, i drink some water. veggies are good to make you feel the action of eating, but i discover that if i'm actually hungry and i only eat veggies or some really low-cal snack, i'm starving later and then more likely to break down and eat something i'll regret in the moment of "starvation".

if you know your desire to eat is stress related, you could try going for a walk, (i like the coloring idea too), typing (maybe here on 3fc) , making a phone call to a friend...something to get you through the worst of the moment...

i don't know if that helps but i hope it does! i know that everyone is different and i can only go off of my own experiences...

take care,
ella

Sounds like a really stressful situation. I do the same thing but realizing it is the first step to changing it.

I would suggest a few things.

Journal. Confront yoru feelings on a regular basis rather than trying to stuff them down with food. This is somethign I'm ALWAYS working on but the binges get fewer and farther between.

Put up signs around your house to remind you of your goals and why you are trying to lose this weight.

If you can make a rule to only eat at the table, that would likely help. It forces you to eat only when you need to. Bingeing at the table isn't usually as satisfying.

You need to find other ways to manage your stress: go for a walk, take a bath, journal, breathe.. I have a list of ways I can nurture myself on my fridge to remind me that I dont always have to choose food. it's a choice.

Make a food plan for your day ahead of time. It forces you to stop and think about straying from the plan before you do. I find it really helps me. I keep it in my purse!

Track what you eat. Write it down. How hungry were you before on a scale of 1-5, how do you feel after? what are you feeling at the time you eat, what time is it, etc. This could help you to see times when you really need to pay attention or triggers you aren't even aware of. Write it down before you eat it. This will give you a moment to think whether you really need it.

For me, I have to challenge my thought that I will binge later anyway. Sometimes I say to myself, well I could probably not eat it, but I'll want it in an hour. Putting it off is a victory in itself, maybe in an hour you won't want it. Dont give up on yoruself.


I would also suggest reading The Beck Diet Solution which is all about ending sabotaging thoughts and training your mind to think like a thin person as well as books by Geneen Roth. She writes about emotional eating and they were my first step to confronting this issue.

I also wanted tosay that you are not alone. I think it would be hard for anyone to say that they have never eaten out of stress. Eveen people who don't realize it. So try not to beat yourself up. We all do it. Paying attention to it will help you to reduce the number of times you do and that will help you to lose weight. We are so hard on ourselves sometimes. Celebrate all the positive changes you have made.

I write down at least 3 things I'm proud of each day. I find it helps to remind myself that I am doing well and to not focus on things that happened in the past that weren't so great.

I hope DH is doing well.